Lily!
by bets2010
Summary: Lily Evans is the new head girl at Hogwarts. Her new hobby - matchmaking. Her victims- her friends. Extremely fluffy, with the usual Marauder hilarity thrown in.  L/J, S/E, Remus/Dorcas
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This fic is VERY LOOSELY based on the Jane Austen book Emma. Not a direct parody, but how I'd imagine the Marauders in the story. Please r/r.. reviews help me write faster!_

Lily Evans was rolling her luggage across platform 9 ¾, scanning the crowd around the Hogwarts Express. Her shiny new Head Girl badge was pinned firmly to her sweater, even though she wasn't in her robes yet. OK, she was excited. And why shouldn't she be? She'd only been hankering after the position since she'd watched Molly Prewett march around the hall in her first year. Lily fingered the badge again – it was so _shiny_.

Lily boarded the plane, grinning at Mary and Emmeline who had already commandeered all the seats in the compartment by strategically placing bags all over. This year, she decided, was going to be her best year yet. Not just because she was Head (_squeal_) but because it was her _last _year at Hogwarts. The girls had been making plans all summer, communicating via owl and in the case of Lily and Mary – Muggle post.

"All right, Evans?" Lily looked up as three loud pops revealed the presence of Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and… James Potter.

'James!' she squealed, jumping up to envelope him in a hug. Yes, he was now James. Not Potter. Not James bloody Potter (except when he was arguing with her). Just James. They had worked together on a year long potions project last year, and had found themselves becoming…. friends. Lily had been all set to do all the work (she had wanted to research and brew Amortentia), but James had surprised her by insisting on looking into the research on a new potion designed to help werewolves during the full moon. He'd even done most of the work, and had learned to brew it to perfection.

_Flashback:_

'_Potter, are you sure you don't want to do Amortentia? No one's ever heard of this Wolfsbane draught before… and why would you want to help werewolves, anyway?'_

"_They're victims, Lily. Most of them were just like us, they were attacked by a monster and can't help who they are. They become something they hate once a month, and don't dare get close to anybody because of it. Can you imagine how lonely it would be, every month going through a terrible transformation, not being able to be with people you cared about – not daring to tell anyone the truth about yourself because you're afraid you would be judged?"_

And just like that, he went from James bloody Potter to James. Not that she fancied him or anything. And Merlin knew he was over her – he'd stopped asking her out since the 25th of November in fifth year. Somehow though, he'd become a friend. That potion, being so new and difficult to brew, had forced them to work together every day for the school year. And over the summer, Lily had found herself owling him often. She'd even been jealous when Emmeline and her family had spent three weeks with the Potters. Not because she _fancied _James. More like because she'd wished she could have spent some time with him. She'd missed him.

'Prongs, mate, I think she's finally started to fall for the old Potter charm' Sirius Black's voice snapped her out of her reverie, causing her to fix her infamous Lily glare on him. James may have become one of her best friends, but that didn't mean she had to be nice to Black.

"You'd better cool it, Padfoot. The last time she glared at someone like that, they ended up in the hospital wing."

'Wasn't that you?'

Remus, Emmeline and Dorcas were roaring with laughter as James quirked a lopsided grin and Lily just blushed. Did they all HAVE to remember how she had hexed his ears off (literally) in fourth year when he pestered her for a date? Honestly, none of them could remember when their Transifiguration homework was due (well, Remus probably could but still) but they all could recite Lily's **cough** indiscretions at the drop of a hat. James' smile reassured her, though. He always did have a nice smile, even when he was being a prat, which was secretly why she'd hexed him in the first place.

Lily intensified her glare at Sirius. He had been with James _all bloody summer_. How dare he monopolize his attention like that. Judging by the slow smirks spreading on the boys' faces, and the way they were beckoning Remus to join them, Lily was sure they were up to No Good anyway.

'I hardly think a prank would be proper Head Boy behavior, James…'

"You laughed when we made the Malfoy and Rosier propose to Filch last year, Evans"

Lily smiled slightly at the memory. It had been funny, especially when the boys had started to serenade him. It had taken James, Sirius and Remus a whole day to stop laughing for long enough to remove the spell.

'You're Head Boy now, James'

"I'm also a Marauder, Evans"

'James bloody Potter DON'T expect me to bail you out if you get into trouble and lose your badge' Lily was getting angry now. Didn't the prat EVER listen to ANYTHING she had to say? Toerag.

"Don't worry, Lily… I'd never expect you to bail me out of anything" with a mischievous grin and a wink, James, followed by Sirius and Remus, got up and apparated out of the compartment, leaving the three girls staring at the empty spots where the marauders had stood.

'They couldn't have WALKED out like normal people, could they?' Lily groused. James may be her new crush-friend. Not crush. Friend. That didn't give him the right to _show off_ like that. Just because he could apparate before anyone else in school could. Toerag.

"You know Potter and Black… always have to do everything with a bang" Dorcas commented, earning twin glares from Emmeline and Lily.

'Remus was with them too, you know' Emmeline's voice was hard, as Lily just glared.

"I know… but Remus is… different" Dorcas blushed as Lily's eyes lit up.

'Different?'

Lily and Emmeline exchanged grins as Dorcas blushed harder. Who knew Dorcas Meadows, the school's resident punk girl would actually be interested in the bookish Remus?

"He's a Marauder… but he's also sweet. He's not like the others…" Dorcas mumbled shyly.

'James is sweet!' Lily objected, earning an odd look from Emmeline.

"While we're on the topic of confessing crushes…"

'He's a _friend _Em… I'm not interested in him like _that_. And Merlin knows he doesn't feel that way about me anymore. I'm just saying, objectively speaking… that he is sweet. Not like Black anyway.'

Emmeline seemed to blanch as Lily spoke, but didn't say anything. Before Dorcas could respond, the door to the compartment swung open and Lily found herself looking into a pair of familiar, beautiful hazel eyes. I mean familiar hazel eyes. Not beautiful hazel eyes. Familiar!

"Oh, mighty Head girl, we are needed for our Prefect's meeting posthaste…"

Giggling and blushing slightly, Lily put her hand into the crook of his arm, barely noticing the giggles of her friends as they walked out of the compartment.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I really wasn't planning on updating today but what can I say… you guys inspired me! Thanks for the awesome reviews – much love!

Lily was sitting in the Great Hall at dinner, twiddling her fork and looking nervous. James, Sirius and Remus were _late_. For dinner. They had said something about helping Peter move his things into the dorm – he'd arrived late and had to take the Night Bus to Hogwarts. But still. They were three growing boys. Two of whom played quidditch. Merlin knew, they _needed _their food and – this was the Hogwarts first day of school feast. There was only one reason James and Black wouldn't be sitting at the head of the Gryffindor table, banging on their plates with their spoons demanding to be fed. They were Up To Something.

"This seat taken?" Lily looked up to see a familiar smirk. She knew that smirk. That was his " I'm innocent" smirk. Sirius Black was with him, whistling almost _too _casually, while Remus twirled his wand. Lily fixed her gaze on Peter Pettigrew, who had already planted himself on his usual seat, swallowing nervously.

'So, Peter… what took you boys so long?' Lily knew that of all the boys, Peter was probably the only one who was going to crack.

"He needed to owl his mother to let her know he got here OK… you know the night bus" James flashed his charming smile before moving to sit across from her, next to Sirius. 'Prat' she thought sourly as she looked at her empty plate. He just _had _to have an answer for everything, didn't he? She wouldn't even have needed to use the death glare on Peter – he would have quaked with one mini frown.

'I'm starving' Dorcas smiled winningly at Remus sitting across from her. The girls' lengthy girl talk session before dinner had concluded in a Fabulous Plan. She was going to try to find some common interests to talk to Remus about. And who, really, didn't like food? 'Where's dinner, anyway? They never keep us waiting this long'

Remus seemed to be hiding a smile as he answered, "Oh I'm sure it'll be here… Dumbledore looks like he has an announcement to make anyway."

Sure enough, the headmaster stood up from his table and made his way to the clinked his glass, demanding the attention of the room.

"Attention, students. I trust you have had a fruitful and eventful first day at Hogwarts" he seemed to break off and look meaningfully at four boys sitting at the head of the Gryffindor table, smiling slightly as he continued, "before we begin this feast, I would like to announce that we have an exchange student for this year. She is a seventh year from Beauxbaton Academy, and has just been sorted into Gryffindor – " Professor Dumbledore was cut off by the loud cheers from the Gryffindor table. When the students had calmed down slightly, he continued, "I hope you will make her feel welcome here. Please welcome Dominique Gauthier."

A tall teenager with white blonde hair and ice blue eyes cast a speculative look at the Gryffindor table, before homing in on the Marauders. Judging by the scowls on Dorcas and Emmeline's faces, she assumed Sirius and Remus were taken. The short one on the end was inconsequential… but the black haired one with the glasses and the smile… he had potential. He seemed confident, and there was something about him that seemed to tell her that when he spoke, people listened. Her eyes zeroed in on the shiny badges pinned to his robe – Head Boy… and Quidditch Captain too. Interesting. Putting on her best smile and giving her hair her best toss, Dominique Gauthier slid into the empty seat beside James Potter, sickening Lily slightly as she touched his arm and drew him into a conversation about quidditch.

'Dumbledore just declared the feast open' Lily hissed, trying (unconsciously) to distract James. It worked – James, Sirius, Remus and Peter snapped to attention, looking intently at the teacher's table with speculative smirks.

"Should we be worried right about now?" Emmeline turned to Lily, her voice low.

'Worry? Vhy you worry? James here is paying utmost attention to the teachers, just like a Head Boy should' Sirius and Remus stifled their snorts as James turned towards the new student with a smile.

"Of course… see Evans, someone here has faith in me… incidentally Dominique what's your opinion on Muggle music?"

'Muggle… music? It is very good. I very much like to dance to it' Dominique smiled, certain that the Head Boy was about to ask her out on a date. She didn't notice the death glare she was receiving from the opposite side of the table. Emmeline, however, was trying to calm her friend down before she hexed someone and lost her badge.

"Look, Lils… the food! They're bringing the turkey out…"

'That thing is huge!' Dorcas was still trying to talk to Remus about food. He certainly seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the bloody turkey.

'It is, isn't it?' Something in Sirius' voice seemed to indicate that he was trying to fight a smile. James, too, was trying to control his twitching lip as he watched the turkey. Dominique was perplexed; this was the first time a boy had ignored an opportunity to ask her out. Maybe he really liked turkey?

Professor Slughorn let out a shout as the teacher's glasses started to fizz, releasing dry ice. Sparks seemed to fly from the candlesticks as a spotlight appeared on the turkey. To everyone's surprise and the students' delight, the turkey then got up and grabbed the knife Professor Dumbledore was going to use to carve it. Knife in hand, it walked up to Professor Mcgonagall and started to sing. Loudly.

_Girl, you really got me now, you got me so I don't know what I'm doing…_

Lily gave up trying to control her laughter when the turkey started to strum the knife like a guitar and waddle suggestively in front of their shocked teacher. Emmeline was wiping tears from her eyes as the Marauders howled with laughter.

_Girl… you really got me now…. You got me so I can't sleep at night…_

The Marauders were now on their feet, each grabbing a girl. Lily noted with satisfaction that Remus had immediately pulled Dorcas to dance with him. Emmeline was laughing as Sirius spun her around the room. When she felt James' hand on her shoulder, she found herself enjoying being expertly twirled as the turkey continued singing.

_Girl… you really got me now… you got me so I don't know where I'm going_

By this time, almost all the fifth, sixth and seventh years in the room, with the exception of the sulking Slytherins, were on the floor dancing. The chandelier in the hall had been transfigured into a huge disco ball and Professor Mcgonagall was looking as if she wanted to send the whole school (even the troublemaking turkey) to detention.

Lily's eyes widened when James, Sirius, Remus and Peter (yes, even Peter had managed to find a partner) left their dance partners and marched up the stage to their irate professor, kneeling and singing back up for the turkey.

_You really got me_

_You really got me_

_You really got me_

At the last _You really got me_, the disco ball turned into a huge pile of red and gold confetti, charmed to spell out the words, "Welcome to Hogwarts!"

Silence reigned in the room as the turkey walked back to Dumbledore's plate and lay flat, apparently dead once again.


	3. Chapter 3

Lily was trying to stay mad as the prefects swept up the confetti in the Great Hall that night. She grumbled loudly to James and Remus about how "whoever thought up this prank should have made the confetti vanishable, only to be ignored as the Head Boy challenged the Gryffindor prefect to a confetti war.

Sighing, Lily chose to let them be…after warning James that he was going to clean up any new messes they created himself. She watched them speculatively as they charmed the confetti into machine gun shapes and shot confetti bullets at each other. It was nice to see Remus laugh so much, he was usually so serious (pun not intended). She wondered if she could get the opportunity to talk to James about Remus and Dorcas – surely he must want his friend to be happy too.

Speaking (or thinking) of friends, Lily was worried about Emmeline. Once Dorcas started dating Remus (and she _would_), Emmeline would be alone. Well, Lily wasn't seeing anyone either, but she spent most of her time with James. And Lily liked being alone with James. Casting a speculative glance around the room, Lily's gaze fell on Amos Diggory. He was a good-looking Hufflepuff prefect, who was always dressed in expensive clothes. Rumor had it he was headed for a job in the ministry after graduation, and he had apparently just split up with Hestia Jones over the summer. He would be Perfect. Seeing James still engrossed in his "fight" with Remus, and deciding it was pretty unlikely that James was going to be joining her anytime soon (not that she was disappointed), she marched over to Amos, friendly smile and determined gleam in her eye in place.

"Hello, Amos having trouble with that?"

'Well, I HAVE never used a broom for anything other than flying before' Amos smiled charmingly at the red head in front of him. Well, he thought it was charming, anyway.

"You have to admit this IS much easier than the pumpkin juice fiasco last Halloween"

'Why they haven't been expelled by now is beyond me'

Lily frowned at that statement. She'd done her fair share of griping about the Marauder's pranks in the past, but she'd never wanted them _expelled_. Besides they were (usually) harmless and (she _hated _to admit it) pretty funny. The serenading turkey that night had been classic.

"They're not hurting anyone. Besides, no one could actually prove it was them." It was true. After dinner, when Mcgonagall and the other professors had tried to give the Marauders detention, James and Sirius had protested (loudly) of their innocence. And there was no way anyone could pin it on them. That had always been the most annoying (and impressive) thing about the marauders. Privately, Lily also always thought that Dumbledore enjoyed their pranks.

'Of course… and they are rather amusing, I suppose'

"Yes… they are" Lily was rethinking her plan to hook Emmeline up with Amos. He sounded so… snobby. She was about to make an excuse and head off when she caught Hestia Jones looking at the two of them strangely.

"Why did you and Hestia break up, anyway?"

'You mean you don't know?' Amos looked shocked, and almost stricken. 'She was cheating on me'

"You're _kidding_" Lily was shocked, and starting to feel sorry for him again. Amos Diggory and Hestia Jones had been going out since fifth year, and had seemed crazy about each other. They had even been voted Hogwarts cutest couple for the past two years (something that Alice had spent many long hours complaining about in their dorm).

'She was having an affair with…. Sirius Black this summer. I caught her when I Floo-ed over to surprise her on our anniversary' Amos looked down, a mournful expression plastered on his face. Lily bit her lip; maybe Emmeline would go out with him after all. Merlin knew, the boy could use a break – he'd probably just been bitter earlier, anyway. After all, Black HAD stolen his girlfriend.

"Oi Evans, you going to slack off all night, or are you going to help us like a Head Girl should?" James Potter seemed to materialize in front of her, interrupting her train of thought with his twinkling eyes and lopsided grin.

"Says the one who was _shooting _confetti a few minutes ago"

"It was Moony's idea"

'It was NOT' Remus' indignant tone caused Lily to laugh. One thing she could safely say about being friends with the marauders – they made life interesting.

"Besides, we DID clean up… the hall is almost completely cleared. As Head Boy and Girl though, we do have to patrol the halls tonight. You know, to catch all those nasty little rule breakers" James Potter's face was the picture of innocence. He was looking at Lily with wide eyes, his most angelic grin and a halo hovering above his head for effect.

Faking an exasperated sigh, Lily took his arm, waving goodbye to Amos and Remus as she allowed him to march her out of the hall. The _most _annoying thing about being friends with James bloody Potter was, of course, the fact that it was now almost impossible to stay mad at him. All he had to do was flash his pearly whites and Lily would find herself reluctantly smiling, no matter what he did.

"Damn you and your charm" Lily grumbled as they walked along the empty hallway.

'So… I have charm now, Evans?'

Lily blushed slightly. She hadn't intended to grumble OUT LOUD.

"No"

"You just said I did"

"No I didn't"

"Lily…"

"James…" Lily was being stubborn; she had her story and was sticking to it. They stared at each other awhile before Lily suddenly grabbed his arm, remembering what she wanted to talk to him about.

"James- Is Remus asking anyone to the beginning of term ball?"

James Potter stopped in his tracks and eyed the redhead next to him suspiciously.

"Why?" James was no stranger to Lily's many matchmaking attempts. And Remus was her favorite target. Last year she had tried to force him to go out with three different girls from Ravenclaw; it had reached a stage where he had barricaded himself in their dorm and refused to set foot in the Gryffindor common room without James' invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map. Only when Lily had given James her solemn word to _leave Remus alone _would he agree to be seen in public again.

Lily squirmed uneasily under James' gaze. She had _promised _not to try to fix Remus up with anyone – but that was before she knew Dorcas liked him. And Remus was a nice guy, who deserved to have someone care for him! And think of the double dating possibilities! Lily's eyes widened at the last thought – she did _not _just think that. Mercifully, James didn't seem to notice her sudden blush.

"Lils…."

"Dorcas likes him" Lily mumbled, eyes at her feet. Since when was James bloody Potter allowed to be the one to make _her _feel ashamed of herself, anyway.

James sighed, absently running his hand through his hair.

"Please tell me you haven't already come up with some elaborate plan to get him to ask her out"

"No… well… it's not _elaborate_" James bloody Potter was one to talk. He was the one who had gone down on one knee in the great hall at the start of fifth year insisting he wouldn't move until Lily agreed to go out with him.

"Lils…."

"All you have to do is _mention _the dance at breakfast tomorrow. That's it, I swear!"

"Lily… you don't understand. Remus won't ask her out"

"He doesn't _like _her?" Lily was indignant. What was wrong with her friend?

"It's not that… it's… complicated."

"Don't you _want _him to have a girlfriend?"

"It's not that _I _don't want him to… the git isn't interested. He thinks – " James suddenly broke off, aware of how he had almost given away his friends' secret.

"What, just because he's a werewolf he can't fall in love?"

James gaped at the girl next to him, his hand freezing in mid hair ruffle. How on EARTH did Lily know?

"Yeah I knew… when you were all passionate about helping werewolves, and when he _disappeared _again at the full moon, Dorcas, Emmeline and I did some research. She knows, too, and she doesn't mind…"

"So… you were trying to force him to date all those girls…"

"I – couldn't stop thinking about what you said… and I was imagining him all lonely every full moon. And we read about the transformation process – it looks so painful. And he has to go through it every month all by himself…."

"I wouldn't say he was _all by himself_" James suddenly flashed his trademark smile, causing Lily to stop and look at him in horror.

"_No_. You lot don't actually –"

"I'd say enough secrets have been revealed for today, don't you think?"

Giving her a peck on the cheek, James grinned cheekily at her wide eyes and took off down the hall.

"Come back here… you don't actually mean… James…James…. POTTER!


	4. Chapter 4

At breakfas, Lily was stabbing her sausage viciously, thinking dark thoughts about the blonde in front of her. Dominique had been up at the crack of dawn, preening and prattling on about how she was _sure _James would be waiting for her down in the common room before starting breakfast. And when she had found him in the Great Hall with the other Marauders, she had plonked her half Veela bum _right next to him_ and had started _scolding _him for not waiting for her. Lily would have been laughing at the confused look on his face if the exchange student's proximity to James bloody Potter wasn't making her physically ill.

And Lily knew she wasn't looking her best that morning. She had slept fitfully, dreaming of James being attacked, bitten… she had woken up several times in the night, bathed in cold sweat, tears prickling her eyes. She knew she wasn't going to get anything out of James anytime soon – the boy was annoyingly stubborn when it came to _secrets_. She couldn't even focus (much) on her grand plan to get Remus and Dorcas together, so she was quite shocked when she heard James talking in a loud voice.

"So, about the beginning of school dance coming up…."

Three Marauder heads snapped towards James. Whenever he used that "almost _too_ casual" voice, he usually had a prank in mind.

'That's going to be some dance… I already know who I'm taking' Peter surprised everyone at the table by speaking first. Lily, in particular, was shocked. Despite his popularity by association, not many girls at Hogwarts usually noticed Peter. Most of his dates had been girls interested in getting close to his friends. None of the Gryffindor girls really voiced their surprise, except for Dominique.

"Who eezzz going with you?"

'Rita…'

"Skeeter? Mate all the girls in Hufflepuff'll know about the size of your… er… tongue within a week" Sirius Black burst out laughing, while James and Remus tried valiantly to hide their smiles.

"Black!" Lily objected, disgusted, "Some of us ARE trying to eat here, you know…"

'And you're having sausage… how appropriate, eh Prongs?'

James bit his lip, trying not to laugh at the look of absolute fury on Lily's face. It was amusing to see Lily get angry when he wasn't the one on the receiving end of it. He did, however, think it was time to change the subject – he was rather fond of his best friend, and did want him alive for their next prank.

"Dorcas… Moony has something to ask you"

Dorcas looked up hopefully as Remus turned red, shooting a filthy look at his two grinning friends.

'Remus?'

"Just man up and ask her Moony… we went through this last night. Either you do it or Prongs and I will"

Remus' eyes widened with panic. Merlin alone knew what James and Sirius would do to "ask Dorcas to the dance" for him. Probably create a big banner all over the Great Hall, or shout "REMUS FANCIES MEADOWS" right before the first quidditch match. Those had been some of their milder threats.

"Dorcas – would you go to the- mphhhh!"

Remus was cut off by the pink haired Gryffindor jumping up from her seat and snogging him right at the table. Not that he minded; he _was _a teenage boy and he was being kissed by a girl he had been interested in for over a year, after all. The loud whistles and catcalls from James and Sirius were rather spoiling the moment, though. Reluctantly, Remus pulled away, blushing as Dorcas whispered in his ear, 'In case you couldn't tell – that meant yes'

"Our little boy, Prongs… he's all grown up!"

"Now, now Pads… we all knew this day would come…. But why did it have to come so soon?"

"It seems like only yesterday he was running around in his knickers…"

"And now he's going on a DATE!"

Lily and Emmeline rolled their eyes as James and Sirius pretended to cry into each others' shirts. Remus was red faced as Peter just laughed and Dorcas grinned. Dominique, however, wanted the attention back on _her_.

"Zo… who are you two taking to zis dance?"

"I don't have a definite date yet… but let's just say… I'm working on it" Lily's eyes widened as she saw Sirius look in Emmeline's direction and _wink_. She started to panic slightly when she saw her friend start to blush. Oh no. This was Not Good. Lily had to nip this thing in the bud Right Now.

"And you, James?"

Lily was starting to be in serious danger of losing her breakfast, not to mention her temper. She was not _allowed _to bat her eyes at James Potter. No wonder no one in England liked the French. French people just swanned into town and _took your men_. Just like that. And James bloody Potter was _hers_. Ask anyone in Hogwarts. Who had James been chasing for five years? Her! Lily Evans! So he was hers! So there!

For some reason, James Potter broke into a grin when he responded.

"Who? Me… I'm going **stag**"

Lily couldn't for the life of her understand why the Marauders roared with laughter. All she knew was that she was relieved… and disappointed at the same time.

_AN: I know this is a short chap, but please r/r… I want to know what you guys think! Plus, I did think this was a good place to stop. ;)_


	5. Chapter 5

"Lily… I need to talk to you" Emmeline cut her best friend off in mid rant. She blushed slightly as Dorcas raised eyebrow eyebrow. Only for something _really_ important would Emmeline Vance risk interrupting Lily Evans in the middle of a "James bloody Potter" tirade. Lily was a redhead. With a redhead's temper.

"I… kind of need your advice." Lily's eyes narrowed as she noticed Emmeline fiddling with a piece of parchment in her hands. A parchment with the Marauder's emblem on it.

Grabbing the parchment from the blushing Emmeline, Dorcas squealed and enveloped her friend in a bear hug, holding the parchment up for Lily to read.

_Princess Emmeline,_

_A very charming prince would like to request for your company at the upcoming royal ball. I count the minutes until I receive your reply._

_Sincerely, _

_Prince Padfoot._

Lily could feel the blood draining from her face as she read the short note. Black was _not_ taking _her_ best friend to the dance. He was a _Marauder_. He had a reputation. He was a player. He was a _prankster_. Besides, she'd spent the last prefects meeting talking up Emmeline to Amos Diggory. And she could tell Amos had been looking over at their table during dinner. He would be heartbroken. Again.

'Em… what did you tell him?'

"Nothing… yet." Lily visibly relaxed as Emmeline's cheeks reddened. Dorcas was going on about double dates and double weddings while Lily frowned. She was supposed to get the double dates! Besides, this was Black. He wasn't even worthy of being called Sirius bloody Black.

'Well… of course you should let him down gently.'

"Let him down? Why the HELL should she let him down, Lils?" Dorcas was now upset. Sirius was a good friend of Remus, and it was clear that Emmeline liked him. And hadn't Lily been the one who had been on about getting Em a date? Now that she had one (one of the most popular boys in school, no less), Lily wanted her to turn him down? Sometimes she wondered if her friend was on anything…. mind altering.

"I… was going to say yes." Emmeline confessed softly. She had spent quite a lot of time with Sirius over the summer when she was at the Potters – and had thought of him as a nice guy. He and James could always make her laugh… and they had even had a few heart to heart conversations about their families, the war and life after Hogwarts. She did like him.

'He's a _Marauder_, Em. Why would you want to associate yourself with a prankster, anyway?'

"James is a marauder, and you hang around him all the time" Emmeline's voice was soft, but firm. Lily squirmed slightly. Her friends didn't need to know about the strange double dating ideas that had been popping into her head recently. For all they knew, she and James were just friends. Which they were.

'It's one thing to be best mates with a marauder, and it's another thing to date them'

"I'm dating a marauder"

Crap. Lily looked up at Dorcas' hurt face and, for once, didn't know what to say.

'Remus is different. He's got principles. So does James for that matter'

"Sirius has principles!" Emmeline's cheeks were red, and her tone was beginning to sound angry.

'Em… do you know how Amos and Hestia broke up?'

"Yes…"

'It was because Hestia cheated on him with Sirius.' Lily's tone was quiet as her friends looked at her in shock.

"Lils… are you sure? Sirius may be a bit of a prat but he would never fool around with someone else's girlfriend. And Hestia was crazy about Amos all last year- at the end of the year she was even going on about looking for engagement rings."

'It happened over the summer. Amos walked in on them…_together_ on their anniversary. Do you think Amos would make up a story like that? You know blokes and their _pride_.'

"But Sirius was with James all summer… and he was flirting with _me_ when I was there."

'He could easily slip out for a few hours every night- it's not like he'd be with James 24/7. Besides, doesn't that prove my point. He was flirting with you and meeting Hestia the entire time. '

The look of disappointment on her friends' face was heartbreaking. Lily just _had_ to say something to cheer her up, even if it was something she wasn't strictly supposed to say.

'Anyway… Amos wants to ask you to the dance'

Emmeline looked up. She had never really fancied Amos – he'd always been Hestia's boyfriend and thus Unavailable. But he was good looking – and she did need a date to the dance. Besides, it _would _be a good way for both of them to get over Sirius and Hestia's little treachery.

"He-does?"

'He told me so himself today. And he always asks about you at prefects meetings. I think he really likes you!' OK so that was stretching the truth a _little_. Amos had only asked her once how her friend was. But he had asked if her group of friends were planning on going to the dance together. So putting the two together, Lily was almost telling the truth. Besides, it was _so_ obvious that Amos liked Emmeline. Why else would he bother to suck up to Lily like he did at every prefects meeting? All Lily needed to do was drop a few subtle hints in his direction, and he'd be twirling Em around the dance floor while Black sat alone in a corner, watching. That would be a funny image. Black sulking in a corner, dateless, when even Peter Pettigrew had a date. Haha. Bwahahahaha.

Dorcas and Emmeline exchanged concerned glances as Lily began to cackle evilly. Should they try to find out what was so funny? Did they even want to know?

"Oi, Evans. Get your Head Girl bum down here. We've got patrol." James Potter's voice caused Lily to pause in mid cackle, widen her eyes in panic and run to the bathroom to brush her hair and touch up her lip gloss.

AN: I'm having a productive day, fics wise Please r/r… your reviews are what keep me on track with writing this! And don't worry – there's going to be a lot more L/J in the next chap.


	6. Chapter 6

Lily was enjoying walking around the castle with James after hours, pretending to be looking out for rule breakers, but really just chatting. She especially enjoyed it when she got to _brag_.

'See? I was right about Remus and Dorcas!'

"Sure you were… just like you were right about Remus and Mary, Marlene, Lotus-"

'But I was right about _Dorcas_! I think I'm finally getting the hang of this matchmaking thing. I should start charging – '

"Evans… you do realize Remus and Dorcas liked each other _before_ you got involved."

'They wouldn't have _said_ anything if it wasn't for me. It was my _plan_ that made it happen.' Lily was petulant. James was trying to take away her _glory_.

James snorted. Evans was never going to listen to him, anyway. He and Sirius had spent half the previous night yelling at, threatening and blackmailing Remus before he was willing to ask out the girl he liked. Lily hadn't exactly planned that.

"Anyway, you don't need to start worrying about finding a date for Emmeline. I have it on good authority that someone is going to ask her out" James smirked, causing Lily to widen her eyes in excitement. Amos was a guy – and Gryffindor had just had a scrimmage quidditch practice with Hufflepuff. Maybe Amos had told James something in the locker room! James could be her spy!

'Did Amos say anything?'

"Diggory?" James curled his lip in distaste, wondering slightly at Lily's excitement.

"No… Padfoot's going to ask her."

'Oh, that… she turned him down' Lily waved her hand dismissively. James wasn't a very good spy. His information was so _outdated_.

"She WHAT?" James Potter's head snapped up so quickly, Lily was afraid he would get whiplash.

"WHY would she do that? She liked him over the summer!"

'Maybe she found out there were better guys around than Black. ' Lily suddenly found that she couldn't quite look James in the eye. She'd forgotten how close he was to Black – she had a feeling he wouldn't be too happy if he found out _why_ Emmeline had turned his friend down.

"Better guys?" James raised an eyebrow, staring at the blushing redhead in suspicion. She seemed to be avoiding his gaze, and she was playing with the ends of her robe the way she always did when she was nervous. And guilty.

"Lily… you didn't…"

'I didn't what?' Lily looked up, defiant. She was only helping Amos get over his heartbreak and helping her friend not date someone who didn't deserve her. She hadn't done anything wrong.

"You told her to say no to Sirius, didn't you?"

'Black doesn't deserve her.'

"And let me guess… Amos Diggory does?" James was speaking in slow, deliberate sentences, taking deep breaths in an attempt to control his temper.

'He's good looking and smart. And responsible.'

"Sirius is good looking too. He's one of the top five students in our year. And he _liked_ Emmeline."

'He had an affair with Hestia over the summer!'

"Let me guess… Amos Diggory told you that?"

'So what if he did?'

"I'm just going to tell you one thing – if you think Amos Diggory is going to ask your friend out, you are _sadly_ mistaken."

'Of course he will! He likes her, he asked me about her, and he hinted that he was going to need a date for the dance.' Lily was getting angry now. James bloody Potter had no right to look at her so disapprovingly when all she had done was _help_. Just because Black was his friend, didn't mean he had to take his side over hers.

'He's better than Black. Black's nothing but an idiot prankster who thinks it's OK to hex anyone he sees. He's a spoilt little prince, and he's never done a thing for anybody.' Lily knew she was crossing the line here, but she didn't care. It was all Black's fault James was actually _fighting_ with her. He'd never looked at her so angrily before – not even when she'd blamed him for her falling out with Severus. Not even when she hexed him in front of the whole school and declared she'd rather go out with the Giant Squid than spend five minutes in his company.

"Sirius Black has been through more than you could ever imagine. And he's one of the most loyal people in this school. He would risk his life for me, for Remus, for Peter. You don't know what you're talking about, Evans."

'I couldn't let her date him. He's a _marauder_.' Lily's eyes widened as she realized what she had said. Seeing the frozen expression on the features of the Head Boy in front of her, Lily's anger was replaced by panic.

'James –'

"Since it's obvious what you think of Marauders, you shouldn't have to spend any more time in the company of one." James spoke in a monotone, refusing to meet the apologetic green eyes in front of him.

'James I-'

"We're back at the Gryffindor Tower anyway. I'd give you a goodnight hug, but I know you wouldn't want a _marauder_ anywhere near you" imitating Lily's haughty and sarcastic tone, James Potter strode into the Gryfffindor common room. He didn't even bother to disguise the hurt and disappointment on his face as he practically ran up the stairs to the seventh year boys dormitory, leaving Lily standing in the common room, fighting back tears.

AN: OK I know this is a short chap, but I felt it's necessary to end here. You guys know what to do to make me write faster **hint hint** hehe.


	7. Chapter 7

Dorcas didn't know what to do. Lily was miserable, but she still felt she was right in telling Emmeline not to go out with Sirius. James was avoiding her, and Sirius was avoiding Emmeline. Which meant the marauders no longer sat with their little group at meals. Which meant Dorcas had less time to spend with Remus. Which made Dorcas Meadows _very_ unhappy. Lily had tried to talk herself out of being upset, saying that James would get over it and come back to her like he always did. Unfortunately it had been a week, and James still didn't seem to want anything to do with her. He didn't even hang around to give _her_ a chance to apologize.

Emmeline Vance was sad too. She had really liked Sirius, and felt as though they had a real connection. She was hoping Amos would ask her out soon – he might be able to get her mind off of things. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be happening. Amos did spend quite some time with the girls, but he never singled Emmeline out for attention. And Dorcas didn't like him.

Lily, on the other hand, had started renewing her matchmaking efforts with a vengeance. If Amos and Emmeline got together, James would see how right she was about Sirius and Emmeline, and he would _have_ to start talking to her again. He would just _have _to. She had started going on rounds with him (easy enough to do, as James now insisted on only patrolling with Remus) and tried talking up Emmeline as much as she could. To be honest, though Amos sometimes annoyed her.

"Em had a really bad cold today, Amos. You should really go see her and try to cheer her up"

'Of course, of course. But in the meantime, _you_ should avoid spending too much time with her. You can't, in your infinite kindness, allow yourself to fall sick while caring for a friend.'

He would usually drone on in this manner, turning every statement about Emmeline into a compliment towards herself. Lily often found herself wanting to slap him. If it hadn't been for Emmeline, she _would_ have slapped him.

Lily would sometimes catch herself wondering if Amos really was right for her friend. He _had _to be, though. Lily didn't think she'd be able to cope if she had lost James because of a _mistake_. It was bad enough that she had let her previous prejudice against the marauders cloud her judgment and cause her to insult James. If she was wrong about Amos and Emmeline too… Lily didn't know what she would do. Which is why, at every patrol, she carried on trying to nudge Amos in the right direction.

Unfortunately, Amos didn't seem to be getting a bloody hint. Nothing, however, could have prepared Lily for the sight of Amos Diggory bending down on one knee in front of her outside the portrait hole leading to the Gryffindor common room one night, holding a single lily.

'Lily, fair Lily, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Hogwarts Dance?'

Lily gaped, open mouthed.

"Em… you mean Em right? You're just practicing for when you have to ask Em… right?" Lily's voice was pleading. " Please please _please_ let this be a huge misunderstanding" she prayed internally to whatever deity that was listening.

'Em… now why would I want to ask Emmeline? She's very pretty of course' Amos hastily replied when he saw the redhead's eyes flash dangerously, 'but who could _ever_ think of Emmeline when you're around Lily? You're beautiful, smart, Head Girl… and I know you like me. You've been hinting all week that I should ask you to the dance'

To Lily's horror, Amos pulled her towards him and sloppily tried to press his lips to hers. Pushing him roughly, Lily hissed, "Don't you EVER do that again. I was trying to fix you up with Emmeline the whole time."

Now Amos Diggory was annoyed.

'Emmeline? Why would I go out with _her_? She's not even a prefect – and I've got a job lined up in the Ministry. I need to go out with the _best_. '

Lily felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach. She had been wrong about Amos the _whole time_. She'd been clinging to the hope that even though she might have said some things that were out of line, some things that she didn't mean – she had been doing the right thing. Pushing past the Hufflepuff prefect, Lily rushed into the common room. Blinded by tears, Lily ran straight into a tall figure.

AN: Another short one, but I just _had_ to end here! **evil laugh** REVIEW!


	8. Chapter 8

Lily looked up to see the one face she _definitely_ didn't want to see at that point. James Potter. She hadn't wanted him to see how right he was, especially since he didn't seem to _want_ to make up with her. Merlin knew she wasn't in the mood to be hurt again. Looking him straight in the eye, she took a deep breath to try to control her tears, and was about to push past him when she felt herself being enveloped in a bone crushing hug.

Internally cursing herself for being such a wimp, Lily burst into tears, sobbing into James Potter's shoulder as he stroked her back reassuringly. After she calmed down a little, she pulled back and looked into the warm hazel eyes in front of her with a brittle smile.

'I'm sorry, James. I didn't mean it about… him being a marauder. I was just-' Lily broke out in fresh sobs as she recalled how unnecessary the whole fight was.

"And I… might have overreacted. It's not like you haven't made your feelings about Sirius and me clear for awhile now."

Lily's eyes widened slightly as she saw the genuine hurt and disappointment on the face of the boy in front of her. She felt compelled to be honest.

'I haven't thought that way about you for awhile now… James' she looked up at him shyly as she spoke, 'You're not a jerk, you're a nice guy, you're someone I respect and… and… care for'

A slow smirk spread across James' face as he took in this information.

"So you _care_ for me, eh Evans?"

'As a mate, you prat!' Lily responded almost out of habit than anything else. Besides she didn't fancy James Potter. Much.

"Sure… as a friend" James gave her an exaggerated wink before turning serious.

"So… why were you crying just now? Missed me too much?"

Lily whacked him on the shoulder, smiling slightly at his cockiness. She _had_ missed him terribly, but there was no need for him to know that.

'Not everything has to do with _you_ Potter'

"Everything worthwhile does"

Lily couldn't help but let out a giggle at his crooked grin. Merlin, he was cute. She sobered slightly as she remembered the Amos incident outside the common room, though. She was dreading telling Em about that.

"Lils… what's wrong?"

'I- Amos just asked me to the dance' Lily's voice was quiet as she tried to read the sudden hard expression on her best friend's face.

"I'm so surprised to hear you say that Lils. Really." James' voice was toneless, his features blank.

'B-but… _how_ did you know?' Lily was flabbergasted. Maybe James was a good spy after all. Either that or he had actually _learned_ something in Divination.

"Lils… he broke up with Hestia when he found out she wasn't Head Girl."

Lily's eyes widened as she caught the irritated look on James' face.

'I- but- how do you know that?'

"Hestia told me when Sirius and I BOTH met her over the summer. She was a mess."

'B-but… he told me-" Lily's cheeks were reddening. Now not only did she have to tell Emmeline she had been wrong about Amos liking her, she would have to tell her she'd been wrong about Black too. Lily would count herself lucky if she wasn't cursed into the middle of the next century, at the rate things were going.

"Right, well telling you he'd dumped his long term girlfriend just because she didn't get the post you had wasn't exactly going to help his chances any, was it?"

'Oh, Merlin- I've really screwed up this time, haven't I? Why do you put up with me?'

"Because you're cute when you're screwing up." James grinned at her, "Besides I think Professor McGonagall was going to retire early if we didn't make up soon. I don't think she has the constitution to handle both me _and_ Sirius in a bad mood."

Lily let out a small giggle. What was wrong with her? She never giggled! Lily made fun of gigglers! It had been true, though – the previous week had been a chaotic one for the school. Whenever any of the marauders were upset, they usually cheered themselves up by pulling a good prank. James and Sirius had _both_ been in foul moods all week. Professors had been on the verge of canceling classes as poultry appeared out of nowhere in the middle of classrooms, loud offensive music blaring in the halls, usually with some anti-Slytherin digs thrown in. And the Slytherins had taken to their common room, refusing to emerge for fear of being made to tap dance against their will, do a full monty, have random pies flying in their faces, be levitated over the quidditch pitch- No school had the resources to withstand the damage caused by an irate James Potter and Sirius Black, that was for sure.

Lily was upset. She had spent a week apologizing to Emmeline about the whole Amos/Sirius misunderstanding, and Em had taken it pretty hard. She had forgiven Lily, but would purse her lips and be silent whenever Black's name was mentioned. And with good reason, Lily supposed. Black wasn't like James – once a girl turned him down, he didn't ask again. He was dancing with almost every available girl in the room. Even James had told her that it would probably be better for Emmeline to try to move on. 'Once a Marauder decides to give up, there's no looking back', he had said. Somehow, the way he said it made Lily's stomach flip in fear.

It of course didn't help things that Amos had asked Dominique to the dance – and she had accepted. Throughout the dance, she and Amos had been making snarky comments to Lily and Emmeline as they stood off to one side, nursing their punch. When Lily had been asked to dance by Barty Crouch, a Ravenclaw prefect, she had been relieved to escape, and Emmeline had urged her to go, but couldn't help glancing every few minutes at her dejected friend.

'Look at zee poor girl, Amos… vy don't you ask her for a quick dance? It vould make her day' Dominique's statement of supposed concern was delivered with an unmistakable touch of malice.

"But darling… I'd never want to dance with anyone but you. After being with you all other beauty pales…"

'Cherie, you know you can dance with me all night, just make this girl's day, hmmm' Dominique's veela like eye had rested on a black haired marauder, walking towards the refreshments table. If she could get rid of Amos of a few minutes, Dominique was sure she could _finally_ land James Potter.

Mumbling a hasty excuse to her partner, Lily made her way towards her friend. If those prats were upsetting her, Lily was going to hex every hair off their perfectly coiffed heads.

James reached the trio first, though. Lily stopped short as she saw James whisper something to Emmeline and lead her to the dance floor. She had a hard time stifling her smile as she watched the slackened jaws and wide eyes of Dominique Gauthier and Amos Diggory.

AN: Hope this makes up for the previous short chapter. you know the drill **hint**


	9. Chapter 9

Lily pushed at the food on her plate, her appetite completely gone. The four conspicuously empty seats at the head of the Gryffindor table were making her sick with worry. The Marauders _never_ missed a meal. Never. Even Frank Longbottom was glaring at the Slytherin table where Lucius Malfoy was looking rather pleased with himself.

'He didn't _deserve_ to smile like that' Lily fumed to herself as she shot a death glare in the direction of the smirking long haired seeker. Even Dorcas and Emmeline were quiet as they glanced every few minutes towards the door of the great hall, hoping against hope that at least three of the marauders would burst in. Even the teachers knew that for the marauders to miss a meal, James Potter had to be on his deathbed at least.

The Gryffindor table was silent, with the exception of an occasional sniffle from one of the girls and a loud wail or two from Dominique Gauthier. Lily _would_ have made a snarky remark about how she was dating Amos and shouldn't be too worried about how "Jamesie" was doing, but was too choked up to speak. Emmeline, however, was shooting uncharacteristic death glares across the table.

Even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were silent as they took in the completely contrasting atmospheres at the red and green tables. The Ravenclaw quidditch team, in particular, had not known whether to celebrate or to be outraged at the events of the previous night. On one hand, as sportsmen (and women) they were appalled at the dirty fouls committed by the Slytherin team (Lucius Malfoy in particular), most of them directed at James Potter. As fellow students, they had been concerned when, after being hit by several bludgers, their head boy had been knocked off his broom in midair by Lucius Malfoy, who had timed his flight _just_ so that Madam Hooch would think it was an accident. As quidditch players, however, they had just been gifted the cup on a silver platter. Potter was the captain and star seeker for the Gryffindor team, and he wasn't going to be out of the hospital wing in time for their final game the next day. Which was probably what Lucius Malfoy had been going for – Slytherin had been out of the running since their first loss to Ravenclaw early in the season.

Professor Slughorn had, in a rare moment of insight confiscated Sirius, Remus and Peter's wands immediately after the game, correctly reading the murderous looks in the eyes of the three marauders. Dorcas had tried unsuccessfully to pry Remus away from the hospital wing in time for dinner the previous night. Unfortunately, the marauders had been absolutely determined to camp out by James' bedside. None of the other students (including Lily) had been allowed in, a pompous Poppy Pomfrey declaring that James needed his rest and he couldn't be bothered by _fangirls_. Since when was Lily Evans a fangirl, anyway?

Lily happened to catch the sympathetic eye of Barty Crouch. James, for some reason, didn't seem to like him, but he'd become something of a friend to Lily since the last dance. And there was the little fact that he had _saved_ Emmeline from Snape, Malfoy, Avery and their little gang of future death eaters. Those bullies had surrounded Emmeline and were going to hex her when Barty had showed up and ordered them away. And they had _left_. In fact, Lily was sure Emmeline had developed a crush on him since that little incident.

_Flashback:_

'_Lils.. there's something I want to talk to you about' Emmeline had appeared nervous, her cheeks flushed slightly. Almost immediately Lily had known, and it was all Lily could do to pull her friend into a squealing hug._

"_Let me guess… a boy?"_

'_Something like that' Emmeline had blushed harder, causing Lily to grin. FINALLY Emmeline seemed to be getting over the whole Black fiasco. She did remember her new promise to James not to interfere, though._

"_Would he happen to be someone… who saved you recently?"_

_Lily had grinned as her friend looked at her feet, smiling slightly at her shyness. Emmeline could be SO obvious sometimes._

'_Y-you might say that…It's - '_

"_All I'm going to tell you, Em, is to look out for signs that he likes you before doing anything. You're smart enough to figure this out on your own." And Lily had skipped off to join James at the prefect's meeting, intending to keep a sharp eye on her friend Barty while she was at it._

Thinking of Emmeline and Barty made Lily think of James. He hadn't liked Barty, and had even insinuated that Barty was in league with Snape and Malfoy. He claimed he had seen Barty with Rodolphus Lestrange at the Leaky Cauldron and everyone knew Lestrange was You Know Who's head recruiter.

Lily's stomach tensed in fear as she stared at the door, willing it to open. What if that argument about Barty Crouch was the last conversation she would ever have with James? What if – Lily didn't even want to think about it. She stared at the door again. She didn't expect Black to leave the hospital wing before James did, and could only imagine the hell he would give anyone who tried to remove him from his friends' bedside. If Remus and/or Peter were to show up, though, Lily would know that James was going to be OK.

In an almost spooky coincidence, the door to the great hall swung open just when Lily was in mid stare. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and… James Potter.

Lily barely noticed the collective intake of breath as her eyes focused on the unspoken leader of the Marauders. He had a bandage around his head, and his arm was in a sling. She noticed he had several nasty bruises on his chest, another bandage wound around his ribcage. She glared as she noticed Dominique Gauthier ogling the shirtless James Potter. Honestly, some people had no shame. Although he did look fit without his shirt. Despite the bandage, he had a very toned torso.

Speaking of shameless, Lily couldn't understand whether he was parading around the school half naked because of the bandages, or because he was just being Potter. She did notice that she had to do an awful lot of death glaring. The Slytherin table had suddenly grown quiet as cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table.

With three collective wrist flicks from the doorway, red and gold confetti fell from the ceiling as the Marauders marched up the great hall. Sirius and Remus had protective hands on James' elbows, but the four seventh years faced forward, resolute, stamping and clapping as they sang loudly,

_Buddy you're a boy make a big noise_

_Playin in the street gonna be a big man some day_

_You got mud on yo' face_

_You big disgrace kicking your can all over the place_

_Singing We will, we will rock you_

_We will, we will rock you_

Lily smothered a laugh as she saw the furious looks on Malfoy, Snape and Avery's faces. James, Sirius and Remus had hexed the seventh year Slytherins so that they were forced to stamp and clap as the Marauders made their way down the hall. It was even more comical when, in an effort to control his body, Lucius Malfoy fell face first into a cream pie that had suddenly appeared in front of him.

_Buddy you're a young man hard man_

_Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day_

_You got blood on yo' face_

_You big disgrace_

_Wavin' your banner all over the place_

_We will we will rock you_

_Sing it now_

_We will we will rock you_

By this time, James and company had arrived at their usual seats and were smiling gallantly at Lily and her friends. Well, Remus and James were smiling gallantly; Sirius' smile was kind of bitter. And he sat next to James, but at least he was willing to share a table with Lily and her friends again. As she caught sight of Lucius' Malfoy's chalky white face, and James' trademark grin, Lily Evans couldn't help but feel as though things were finally Looking Up.

AN: I feel I owe you guys an explanation here. When I set out to write this fic, I intended it to subsume my L/J oneshot – I wanted it to give a bit of background as to what happened before the oneshot, and what might happen after. Then I got carried away with this storyline, and decided it should not be the focus of the fic. I did want to include it for the fans though, so here it is (partly). Hope you like it and please do r/r! Love ya all!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: I don't know if anyone's still reading this but… I'm sorry for the long delay in updating. I got busy with moving, and then that that pesky thing called "life" got in the way. Lame, I know… I'm going to be updating both this and Red Gold regularly from now on – I hate it when people don't finish their fics! Please r/r… it'll help me write faster ;)

Lily was sitting glumly in the Head's dorm, while the rest of her house celebrated their victory over Ravenclaw for the Quidditch cup. She'd been shouting herself hoarse just like the rest of them at the game but afterwards….

Even Dorcas had been reproachful when Lily had made that comment about Mary Mcdonald. It wasn't as though she was the only one, practically all of Gryffindor made fun of Mary's stuttering. And she was always trailing after Dorcas, Lily and Emmeline. Merlin knew even Emmeline sometimes got annoyed by her constant haranguing. And when she had run up to James after the game to give him a hug and a congratulatory kiss on the cheek, Lily had seen red. She hadn't intended to say anything out loud. It was just unfortunate that her mouth sometimes ran away with her. Sometimes. Try all the time.

_Flashback:_

_Lily practically strangled Dorcas in excitement when Remus' jubilant voice announced that James Potter had caught the snitch. All around her, classmates were screaming and jumping, Emmeline and Peter throwing their scarves in the air, while James and Sirius released red and gold sparks from their wands as they circled the pitch on their brooms, still muddy and sweaty from the game. _

_As the commotion died down, Lily, Dorcas and surprisingly enough Emmeline, had headed to the boys' locker room to congratulate the marauders. James had been surrounded by excited fangirls from the minute he emerged, which irked Lily somewhat, but she didn't want to say anything. When little Mary Mcdonald, who had pretty much idolized her for years, squealed and gave him a kiss, Lily had bitten her lip, TRYING not to make a scene. The last thing she needed was for people to think that she had ANY interest in James bloody Potter. Not after all the humiliating rejections. And then of course, all the other girls seemed to think it was OK to kiss James on the cheek too. Even Emmeline had gotten a piece of the action. Which, of course, made Lily VERY upset with the little troublemaker who started it all. _

So of course, later on, when Barty Crouch was suggesting they play a drinking game, Lily had been onboard, despite James' frown of disapproval. And of course when Mary had plonked her bum next to James, Lily had felt the need to make a sarcastic remark about how Mary stuttered so much, she probably wouldn't be able to talk after one butterbeer.

Lily had MEANT for it to be a slightly snide remark only heard by Barty. Unfortunately, she'd had one too many butterbeers herself and had blurted it out in front of everyone. Including Mary.

The silence had been deafening. Even Emmeline had been biting her lip as Dorcas looked at her with a mixture of shock and reproach. The worst reaction by far had been James'. He'd been silent, and glared at her for almost the whole night.

Somehow, the thought of James being disappointed in her was bothering Lily. So she'd decided to find him and try to explain. Unfortunately, he hadn't been too willing to listen.

_Flashback:_

'_James, I… I didn't mean to….'_

"_It's not me you should be telling that to, Lily" James Potter's monotone caused Lily Evans' blood to chill. Even when she had insulted him and Sirius early in the year he hadn't looked so… disgusted. Lily was feeling terrible, and when she felt bad, she became defensive._

'_It's not like everyone else doesn't make fun of her, anyway'_

"_Not you" Lily squirmed slightly under James' glare._

"_You were the one who used to get mad at me for bullying Snape, remember? And now here you are, embarrassing a girl who doesn't really have any other friends, in front of the entire common room…"_

'_B-but... you and Black make fun of Peter'_

"_Peter's our friend. He knows we don't mean it, and he knows we'd die for him, just like he would for us" Lily had snorted at this. Somehow, she didn't quite have as much faith in Peter Pettigrew as James seemed to have. "All these girls look up to you, Lils, if you make fun of Mary, everyone else will too…"_

'_I had only meant to whisper it to Barty…' Lily looked at the floor. James Potter did wear some fascinating shoes…_

_At the mention of Barty Crouch, however, James had gone rigid._

"_I'm sure you did. I'd better go talk to the poor girl, she's still out there trying to convince everyone how nice it was of you to be concerned about her" _

_And before she could say anything, James was gone._

Lily had run to her room, and had been sobbing into her pillow for the last hour. Of course, the fact that James wasn't coming after her was making her sob even more. Which was NOT FAIR.

Lily had lifted her head at the sound of the doorknob turning. Her face fell slightly, however, at the sight of Emmeline Vance's reassuring smile.

'Oh… I mean… hi Em'

"You… were hoping I was James weren't you…" Emmeline's gentle voice is strangely guarded as she plops herself on the bed beside the miserable redhead.

'I… just… he wasn't just mad at me this time. He was _disappointed_ in me…' Lily broke into fresh sobs as Emmeline rubbed her back, somewhat distracted.

"He'll get over it… he always does"

'Em… you didn't see the look on his face. It was like he _hated_ me'

"Lily…" Emmeline was speaking deliberately, almost as if she was steeling herself for an answer.

'Yeah?'

"You don't… _like_ James, do you?"

'Of course not… I just… he's my best friend, you know?'

"I thought Dorcas and I were your best friends…"

'Oh…you are… but he's my best _guy_ friend. Merlin knows after everything, we couldn't ever date…'

Emmeline seemed to visibly relax at this, a fact that somehow escaped Lily's notice.

'I guess because we're best friends, I hate the thought of ever disappointing him…'

"James is one of the most reasonable boys in the entire school. I _know_ he'll get over it. "

Leaning over, Lily gives her friend a hug, both teenaged girls considerably cheered up at the thought of a black haired quidditch captain.


	11. Chapter 11

Lily Evans was sulking. James and Sirius had gone home for Christmas break, but Lily had wanted to spend Christmas in the castle. She and James had planned in the beginning of the school year to celebrate Christmas at Hogwarts that year, and just because he was _sulking _was no reason for Lily to go back on her word. Besides, she had no interest in hanging out with her sister and her rotund fiancé… who seemed to glare at her and mutter "freak" whenever he thought she was out of earshot. Petunia had been pretty jealous when she got accepted into Hogwarts, but after she met this Vernon person – she had been pretty much impossible to be around. And James _still_ wasn't talking to her.

The redhead frowned at her pillow. Why did he have to be so _stubborn_ anyway? He had even switched patrol duties so that he patrolled the halls with Remus, while she was stuck with Barty Crouch. He may have been her friend, but walking in on him making out with Hestia Jones pretty much put a damper on their friendship. Their patrols were pretty awkward at best. He seemed to be under the impression Lily had _liked _him, and was pretty condescending about it when she talked to him. In fact, Lily was worried about how she was going to tell Emmeline. Since the quidditch game, Em had been floating around the Gryffindor common room in a dreamy haze, blushing slightly whenever Lily and Dorcas had tried to talk to her. And Lily was worried about her getting hurt again.

_Flashback:_

_Lily had been on her way back to the heads common room, half hoping to find James there before he left for Christmas. She paused when she passed a broom closet, surprised by the soft moans she was hearing. Steeling herself for the sight of Sirius Black with one of his conquests. Her green eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw Barty Crouch lip locked with Hestia Jones. They had seemed surprised to see her too, with Barty practically shoving Hestia off him and chasing after Lily._

'_Lily… wait!'_

"_Yes, Bart?" Lily spun around and gave him her best death glare. He was upsetting her friend, and he needed to DIE. Maybe she was being slightly melodramatic but she was allowed. She was in a bad mood anyway._

'_Look… I know you liked me and all… but I've been dating Hestia since that dance right after school started'_

_Lily was surprised at this. They hadn't seemed to show any sign of being a couple. In fact, Barty usually kept to himself, and spent his spare time with Lily and Emmeline._

'_I just…. It's complicated. Some of my…. Friends… would never accept me dating Hestia because she's a muggle born. She might have been… hurt if people knew I was dating her._

_A chill seemed to shoot down Lily's spine as she remembered James' incessant warnings about Barty Crouch consorting with death eaters._

"_And does… Hestia know about these friends?" Lily's tone was venomous._

'_She… didn't at first. She just thought I wanted to keep it quiet because of the whole thing with Amos. She found out last week and we broke up briefly because of it.' Lily softened slightly when she saw the genuine pain on Barty Crouch's face._

"_You don't seem to be broken up now…"_

'_I… told them I didn't want anything to do with them anymore… I just can't lose Hestia'_

_Lily couldn't help smiling at this, but she was slightly resentful at his next remark,_

'_Look Lily – I know you like me, and you're an awesome friend, but I really don't think it would work out with us. I'm in love with Hestia'_

_Lily had glared at him slightly and stalked off. _

Sighing, Lily got out of bed and looked at her door. She supposed she had to tell Emmeline about Barty and Hestia eventually, and the sooner she did it, the less painful it would probably be. She was surprised when she opened her door and saw her friend standing outside, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

'Lily I heard about Barty… I just wanted to make sure you were OK'

"What? Me? I'm fine… why wouldn't I be?"

'Well… you've been spending all this time with him… I thought you liked him!'

"I thought _you_ did!' Lily rubbed her eyes. How long had she been in bed, sulking? Had her bed turned into a portal to a parallel universe? Had she fallen asleep? She pinched herself. It hurt.

'Me?' Emmeline shook her head, amusement in her eyes 'I was only worried about you'

Relief flooded through Lily's veins, followed by suspicion.

"Wait… you don't _still _like Amos, do you? Because Amos Diggory is the biggest – "

'Oh I hope I have better taste now than to go after _Amos_' Emmeline Vance's lip curled slightly in distaste at the thought of the _disagreeable_ boy. It was an old fashioned word, but he deserved it.

Lily, on the other hand was very confused. She couldn't _still_ be after Black – especially since they hardly talked. In spite of her low mood, her curiosity was piqued.

"So… who is this mystery guy of yours?"

'Well… you actually know him' Emmeline seemed to blush and look down, not quite meeting Lily's eye.

"Well… yeah I know most of the boys in school. God it's not _Peter_ is it? Because – "

'Lily?'

"Yes…"

'It's James Potter'.

AN: I feel bad for ending this here… hehe actually I don't, I love cliffies. You know what to do to make me writer faster ;)


	12. Chapter 12

The edges of the room seemed to go slightly black as Lily stared at her friend. James _bloody _Potter… James Potter who wasn't talking to her… Lily could see Emmeline's mouth moving but she for some reason she couldn't register anything her friend was saying beyond the words "James Potter".

'W-wait… Em… d-d-do you think… he _likes _you?'

Emmeline Vance looked slightly affronted at this. Just because James had chased Lily for five years, it didn't mean Lily had sole ownership of him.

"As a matter of fact, I think he does…"

Lily could have sworn her heart stood still as she listened to her friend.

"He asked me to dance at the beginning of school dance, he's been hanging around with us all the time, and lately he's even been asking if I was interested in anyone…"

'Sirius… maybe he wants to know if you're still interested in Sirius! Maybe Black still likes you…'

Emmeline's eyes narrowed, ignoring the slight pang at the mention of the gray eyed marauder's name. Lily's reaction surprised her. She couldn't be jealous – she'd been bleating for months about how she and James were _just_ friends. Did she think Emmeline wasn't good enough for James?

"You're not the only one who can turn the head of James Potter, you know"

On that frosty note, Emmeline Vance turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, leaving Lily to bury her head in her hands. Just when she thought she couldn't possibly screw up any further, she managed to insult one of her best friends.

Dorcas Meadows was fairly frustrated. It was their last Christmas at Hogwarts, and her two best friends weren't talking. It was exhausting to have to run back and forth between the two girls. Emmeline was upset about Lily's behavior, but Lily absolutely refused to talk to her former best friend. She would clam up whenever Dorcas even mentioned Emmeline's name – and neither of them seemed willing to talk about what had caused the fight in the first place. Finally, two days before Christmas, Dorcas had had enough. She cornered Lily in the hallway leading to the Head's common room.

"Lils…"

'Dorcas…" Lily was wary. The last thing she needed was for Dorcas to find out why she was avoiding Emmeline and take Emmeline's side. She didn't think she could cope with losing Dorcas too.

"You know I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me what's going on…"

Lily sighed. She knew it wasn't fair of her to go off on Emmeline – Merlin knew she had a right to be interested in whoever she wanted. And Merlin also knew Lily didn't exactly have much of a right to say anything to Emmeline where boys were concerned… knowing her track record. For some reason, though, the thought of Emmeline and James caused the blood to pound in her head. She knew it was irrational, she also knew Dorcas wasn't letting her get away without an explanation this time.

'Em… kind of thought I implied she shouldn't be interested in this guy she likes…' Lily crossed her fingers. Hopefully Dorcas would let her get away with her half answer.

Dorcas groaned. "Lils have you learned NOTHING from the Sirius/Amos debacle? Em is a big girl, she can decide for herself who she likes…wait… who is this guy anyway?'

Lily sighed. 'James…' she mumbled. Somehow even mentioning his name in connection with Emmeline hurt.

"Oh, Lils" Lily was visibly surprised when her friend pulled her into a hug. She somehow thought Dorcas would be scolding her for being irrational about Emmeline and James. After all, James was single – and he hadn't asked _her_ out in almost two years. Almost against her will, Lily began to cry softly.

"You do know that this isn't Emmeline's fault, don't you" Dorcas' voice was soft and sympathetic. Lily's feelings for James had been pretty evident from the start of the year – she and Remus had even had a friendly bet going on when she would actually do something about them. Dorcas was actually surprised Emmeline hadn't noticed – and that Emmeline would move on from Sirius to his best friend.

Sighing deeply, Lily nodded her head.

'Why would he even be interested in her anyway? She turned down his best friend!'

"Lily…" Dorcas wasn't sure whether to roll her eyes or feel sorry for her friend.

"You know why she turned Sirius down… and you know Emmeline does have a lot of good qualities… "

'But why does she have to go after James BLOODY Potter?'

"What's wrong with James, now?" Dorcas couldn't resist baiting her friend a little. Besides Lily was making no sense and the sooner she realized this, the better.

'He's just…. He's just…' Lily paused. There was nothing wrong with James Potter. He was handsome, smart, talented, brave, funny, loyal… he was still a bit of a prat at times but he was a born leader and he had a good heart. That was the problem.

"He's just….?"

Lily bowed her head. 'Nothing'

"Lils… you CAN say it, you know…"

'He's just… mine…' her voice was barely audible as her friend squeezed her hand.

"Well… you don't know that he actually likes Em…"

'I – '

Lily was about to speak when she was interrupted by Emmeline bounding towards her two friends, her face lit up with excitement as she clutched a piece of parchment.

'Em-' Lily wasn't sure what to say to her friend. She didn't seem to remember the fact that they _weren't talking_. But she had missed her.

"I'm sorry I got so sensitive Lils… I was just defensive and upset…" Emmeline pulled her confused friend into a hug. Deep down, Lily knew that their argument had been mostly her fault, but who was she to turn down a reprieve? Besides, Emmeline would be mad at her again soon enough when she heard what she had to say about her own feelings for James.

"You look happy" Dorcas observed. Even if things were kind of awkward, it was nice to have her two best friends on semi speaking terms again. If speaking terms meant one was in a dreamy haze while the other stood, mostly silent.

"Of course I am – James and Sirius are coming back tomorrow!"

'They- they are?' Lily's heart began to thump wildly. On one hand, the idea of James writing to Emmeline instead of Lily made her want to hurl. On the other hand – she was going to see him at Christmas after all.

'Yes – and that's not the best part!'

"What is..?" Lily could feel her stomach start to tighten. She had a sinking feeling she wasn't going to like what Emmeline was about to say.

'He… he LOVES me!'


	13. Chapter 13

AN: So I FINALLY decided to wrap this up in a chapter or two.. Sorry for keeping this on hold for so long – I've been suffering from severe writer's block for awhile now, especially with this story. I don't however, want to be one of those writers who don't finish their fics, so this one is for all of you who have stayed with me. Let me know what you think!

Lily had been hiding out in her dorm since Emmeline's giddy announcement. She didn't know how to face her friends, and she knew the sight of Emmeline and James, holding hands, behaving like a _couple_ would be far more than she could take. Dorcas was wisely leaving her alone for the moment – she knew Lily probably needed space more than anything.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if someone else wasn't of the same opinion. Someone had been pounding on Lily's door all morning refusing to heed her requests to _bugger off_. Her heart pounded wildly when she heard a familiar, frustrated voice at the other end of the door.

"Oi, Evans… if you don't open the door in the next minute, I'm apparating inside – and I don't care if you're in your knickers.. actually I wouldn't mind that at all"

Lily smiled slightly through her tears. She could practically hear James' smirk. Knowing that it was probably a bad idea to let her best friend's _gulp_ boyfriend who Lily herself was possibly in love with into her dorm, she climbed out of bed and shuffled to the door, pausing briefly by her mirror to run a comb through the hippogriff's nest on her head. It was a blessing and a curse for the Heads to share a common room. She flung the door open to see James standing with his fist in the air – apparently he'd been in mid pound.

James seemed to swallow slightly as he took in her puffy eyes, tearstained cheeks and dark circles under her eyes. Wordlessly, he pulled her into a hug as she sobbed into his shirt.

"Merlin Lily, I'm sorry – I know I was hard on you, but you're so much better than the way you acted. You were the one who made me want to grow up and be a better person, and to see you bullying Mary like that… it wasn't my place to tell you off though, and –"

'You were right' Lily admitted, causing James' head to snap up in shock. Lily Evans NEVER admitted to wrongdoing, particularly not in front of James.

'It was shameful behavior, and it definitely wasn't me. I don't know what I was thinking. My judgment's been all over the place lately' Lily looked up at the head boy with a wan smile. It wasn't fair that she realized how warm and kind his hazel eyes were now – when she'd had the opportunity for years to happily gaze into them. If she had a time turner, she would have told her third year self to stop being a _prat_ and go to Hogsmeade with James Potter.

Looking down into Lily's teary eyes, James sighed.

"Lils.. it'll be ok. He didn't deserve you, anyway. You'll get over him in time"

'Wait… what are you talking about?' Lily was confused. Why was James referring to himself in the third person? And sweet Merlin, how did he KNOW Lily fancied him?

"Barty and Hestia. He was a right bastard for keeping that from you. Leading you on, when he had a girlfriend the whole time! And Hestia! I'd have thought she'd had better judgment than to put up with that sort of nonsense. She watched him flirt with you right under her nose!"

'J-James..' Lily was relieved and slightly pleased to see James Potter's righteous anger on her behalf. He may _love_ Em (Lily's stomach churned at the thought) but he still cared for her. And that was enough. It had to be.

'I – I never fancied Barty. He was a good mate, we joked around and had a few laughs but that was it. The only reason I was upset was because of a misunderstanding' Lily didn't want to make herself look like even more of an idiot by mentioning her matchmaking attempt. Plus she wasn't sure James would appreciate her efforts, under the circumstances.

"Y-you mean you never liked him?" James' tone was disbelieving. He held her at arm's length and looked searchingly into her eyes, seeming to need an honest answer.

'N-no… not as more than a mate' Lily was sure she was squeaking. The way James was looking at her was causing the butterflies in her stomach to flutter even more furiously. Didn't he know he was _distracting_?

"Never, not for a minute?"

'No – not even for a second' Lily was confused. Why did it seem to matter so much, anyway?

"Huh – someone should have told me that this morning"

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Potter… what did you do?"

A cheeky grin spread across James' features as the marauder glint appeared in his eye.

"I may or may not have turned his hair pink."

'That's it?" Lily was skeptical. Pink hair was a relatively mild hex. You know, for James Potter.

"And he may or may not have pink feathers on his arms and legs. And he may also not be able to talk without rapping for awhile"

'And let me guess – these spells were your inventions, so Madam Pomfrey doesn't know how to reverse them?' Lily tried to sound exasperated but couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice. Merlin, the idea of Barty Crouch flapping about the castle with pink hair and feathers rapping like some deranged bird was amusing, to say the least. Plus, again, it was nice to know that James cared.

"The spell will wear off in a week, though. Didn't want to make it permanent, for Hestia's sake. She's a nice person even if she has piss poor taste in men"

Lily sighed and pulled James into another hug. She had missed him, and at this point she didn't even care that he was taken. He had been hers first. She looked up when she noticed his deep, shuddering sigh.

"Lily… there's something that I've been meaning to tell you. But you have to promise me it won't ruin our friendship –"

'Then don't tell me!' Lily started to panic. She wasn't sure what she would do if James turned around and told her he was in love with Emmeline. She didn't think she'd be able to stop herself from throwing a tantrum and having a good old cry on the spot, right in front of him.

"B-but – Lily…"

'But nothing, James. I know what you're going to say'

"Y-you do?"

'Yes.. and please don't say it. Please don't say anything that might mess up our friendship. I don't think I could take losing you as a friend, James'

Lily didn't notice the defeated look in his eyes as he pulled away and gave her a small, sad smile.

"Alright" He pulled her into a hug and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. When he mumbled an excuse about being hungry and left the room, Lily was relieved. She had a good hour (at least) to flop back on her bed and cry.

At midnight, Lily was worried. James hadn't been back all night. She should know – she'd been sitting in their shared common room, waiting for him. Wondering if his friends would know where he was (he'd said he was hungry, but it didn't take 6 hours to walk to the kitchens. Plus, even James couldn't eat that much. Opening the door to the Gryffindor common room, her eyes grew wide.

Emmeline Vance was on the couch, her lips locked with those of a marauder. A marauder with black hair.

'B-black?'

AN: I _promise_ I'm not going to take another 2 months to update this! Meanwhile, I'd love it if you reviewed, and told me what you think. The conclusion will be in the next chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Here it is – my early birthday present to myself Let me know what y'all think!

Lily stared at the couple in front of her in shock. What was Emmeline doing with Sirius Black? Not that she disapproved – she'd long ago realized her prejudice against Black hadn't been very fair.. and Black _was _James' best friend. But Black? Who would want to be with Black when they had James bloody Potter?

Sirius narrowed his eyes at Lily's outburst. He hadn't quite forgotten what had caused Emmeline to change her mind about him all those months ago. Even though Prongs had _told_ him it was a misunderstanding. Plus, she had some bloody cheek trying to talk to _any_ Marauder after the way she'd led Prongs by the nose all year. Sirius Black could forgive a lot of things, but he could_ not _ forgive anyone hurting James. Lily was, however, his girlfriend's best mate, so he twisted his lips into what he supposed was a civil smile.

"Can we help you, Evans?"

'E-em… aren't you? J-james?'

"What do _you_ want with Prongs?' Sirius' tone was sneering. She had some nerve, mentioning Prongs in his presence. The sod had disappeared with his invisibility cloak hours ago, looking more depressed than he had when Gryffindor lost the quidditch cup to Slytherin.

'I.. I thought you were dating James?' Lily's voice was quiet. Her head was reeling, and she didn't want Black, who was glaring at her rather menacingly to know it.

"N-no… I told you Sirius told me he loved me" Emmeline blushed. She wasn't sure how Sirius would react to her momentary crush on James, but it wasn't as if anyone was immune to the Potter charm. Besides, deep down, she had always been in love with Sirius. When she received his letter, she'd known that it wasn't possible for her to feel that way about anyone else.

"Now why would Prongs go straight to you when we got back if he was already dating Emmeline?" Sirius was incredulous. Honestly, Evans was supposed to be smart.

'He- he he was going to tell me something that was going to ruin our friendship' Lily's heart stood still as she replayed her conversation with James in her head. 'He.. was going to tell me something…'

"Was, mate" Sirius didn't look too sympathetic as Emmeline moved towards her friend to hug her. She finally realized why Lily had reacted so badly to her crush on James. It was because Lily was in love with the bloke herself.

'W-was..?' Lily was dazed.

"I'm afraid so" Remus and Dorcas, who had joined the little group were looking at Lily with pity.

"He was headed towards the Forest when I last saw him.."

'The FOREST… but-but there are spiders and werewolves" Lily glanced at Remus, her cheeks burning slightly as she spoke.

"Trust me… he'll be fine" Remus smiled weakly. He knew he was dangerous during his "time of the month" as James and Sirius often put it. It wasn't the full moon yet, though, and almost all the creatures in the forest wouldn't harm a stag.

'W-what do you mean he _was_ going to tell me something? I'll find him and tell him it was all a misunderstanding!' Lily was aware of the note of panic seeping into her voice. If James was going to _finally _ask her out again – surely all he would need would be some reassurance and encouragement, right? Right?

"Lily.. once a Marauder gives up… they don't turn back" Sirius was starting to feel sorry for the miserable redhead in front of him. Yes she was hotheaded and prissy, but he had never seen a girl look quite so… crushed.

'You gave Em another chance…'

"I never quite gave up…" Sirius smirked, kissing his girlfriend's hand lightly.

'Lily.. where are you going?' Dorcas' mother hen instincts were awakened as Lily stumbled blindly towards the door.

'F-for a walk… I need to clear my head'

"Outside?" Emmeline was worried. Lily herself had mentioned the dangers in the Forbidden Forest.. and Lily wasn't quite as good at getting out of trouble as James seemed to be.

'I'll be fine.. I'll stay on the grounds' Lily's voice was small. She needed to be alone. She needed to think about this.

Lily Evans broke into a run as she reached the Quidditch pitch. She could almost see James soaring through the air, his crimson robes flying in the wind as he swooped down after the Snitch. It wasn't fair. She wanted to clear her mind, and she went straight to the place which was almost always associated with him.

Through the veil of tears in her eyes, Lily could make out a slight movement from the changing room area. She breathed in sharply as a tall, majestic figure came into view. A beautiful black stag, with beautiful antlers stood before her. In the moonlight, she could see that his coat was shiny, and there was a messy tuft of black hair between his ears. His large, hazel eyes shone with a human like expression of compassion. The way he cocked his head and stared at her was so…

The stag reminded her of James. There was no more denying it – she had it _bad_. She was even seeing him in animals. Something about the stag's quizzical expression reminded her of him again, and she flung her arms around the animal's neck, sobbing into his mane. The stag stood still and let her hold him until she stopped crying. When she stopped crying, he bowed his head with an almost courtly expression before scampering off into the night. Lily was still upset about James, but somehow the stag's presence had calmed her. It had also given her an epiphany. She was _not_ going to give up on James Potter. He had chased her for years, tirelessly, relentlessly and even mercilessly. She knew she could remind him of how he used to feel about her. All she needed was to get his attention. And to do that, she needed some help from three marauders, in particular, one Sirius Black.

James rubbed his eyes tiredly as he made his way to the Great Hall. The previous night had been emotionally draining, to say the least. First, Lily had all but told him she only wanted to be his friend, that there was really no point in him telling her how he felt. Even if this time he had been planning on doing it in private, not on one knee in front of the entire great hall. Then she had clung on to him, sobbing her eyes out on the quidditch pitch. James wondered if she would have held him for so long if she had known he was the stag on the grounds. Probably – she was pretty touchy feely with him most of the time. Even though he was just a _mate_. James scowled at the thought. Later that night, when he went to camp out in Sirius, Remus and Peters' room, the other marauders had unceremoniously _kicked him out_. Honestly, what kind of mates did he have, anyway? Eventually, he had snuck back into his room and attempted to sleep, tossing fitfully for most of the night. He knew it wasn't the first time he had been rejected by Lily, but somehow this felt more… real. He cared too much about her to upset her further by bothering her with his feelings. She had made it clear what she wanted. Now if only it didn't hurt so bloody much.

James pushed open the door to the hall, half wondering where his friends were. Sirius Black never missed _breakfast_. Or any meal really. And Merlin knew Wormtail considered himself to be starving if he was five minutes late for a _snack_. His eyes grew wide as he caught sight of a spectacle in the middle of the hall.

Severus Snape was being levitated near the ceiling. By the Head Girl herself. James took off his glasses and wiped them on the sleeve of his robe, certain that he was seeing things.

"Don't you _EVER _say that about him again" Lily's eyes had flashed with venom as she stared at her former friend. How _dare _he come up to her and make those threats about James? It had taken Emmeline AND Peter to hold Sirius down, while Remus had been glaring pretty hard himself. And he had interrupted their planning session, too.

James was torn between amusement and concern. On one hand, the sight of old Snivelly on the ceiling of the Great Hall was hilarious, and the fact that it was Lily who was doing it was classic. He briefly wondered what Snivellus had done to incur the wrath of Lily Evans. Even when he had called her a mudblood in their fifth year, she hadn't been angry enough to retaliate, she had just stopped talking to him.

On the other hand, Lily could get into real trouble if any of the teachers were to show up. And he knew how much the Head Girl badge meant to her. Sighing, James bit his lip to keep the smirk off his face and marched up to Lily, trying his best to maintain a stern expression.

"Evans… put him down!"

Lily turned towards James, a slow smirk spreading across her face. The plan had been fireworks across the Great Hall, like James had done in their third year, but she figured this would do too.

'Only if you'll go out with me, Potter'

James' expression froze. Was she making fun of him? But.. there was something in her green eyes.. a spark of… hope? Nervousness? He swallowed slightly, aware of the sudden silence in the hall. The entire student body was staring at the two Head students, wide eyed and open mouthed.

'G-g-g-go on then, say you'll go out with me and I won't harm a hair on his head again' Lily gulped, losing some of her bravado. Why had she listened to Black when he said public displays and pranks would be the best way to get his attention? This was the most embarrassing moment of her life. Was this how he'd felt every time she turned him down in front of everyone?

James stared, taking in her nervous lip biting and the emotion in her eyes. Unable to speak, he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers, undeterred by the loud thump as a certain greasy haired Slytherin fell to the ground. He was even able to down out the sound of Sirius' loud whoops as he leaned down and kissed the girl of his dreams.

AN: Hot? Not? I don't have anything against Snape, but Lily and James belong together! Plus the latest movie got me kind of riled up – they completely ignored the fact that Snape did, in fact, antagonize James and even hurt him. He hexed James when his back was turned! And he called Lily a mudblood! He wasn't a bad person and he did love Lily, but there was a reason Lily didn't end up with him, and I don't think the movie showed that at all. :P I do think Lily is a little OOC here, but I wanted it to go full circle. Besides I'm allowed a little creative license ;)


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